Tiji Festival Trek 17 Nights 18 Days

Tiji festival is the most exciting and new festival which is mostly celebrated in the Upper Mustang. Samdup Rabten mustang started this festival during the 17th century. He invited the king of other districts to come to Lo Manthang. After that, many kings gather in Lo Manthang to perform a special ritual in the Chhode monastery.

Upper Mustang is very scenic, it attracts many tourist to discover an isolated region for centuries. Highest altitude of trek is 3840 meters / 12598 feet above sea level.

Tiji Festival Trek is a fascinating annual three-day festival consisting of Tibetan rituals that celebrate the myth of a son who had to save the Mustang kingdom from destruction.

During the Tiji Festival time monks dressed in elaborate costumes and masks perform dances and rituals that are supposed to drive away evil spirits. The Tiji festival dances are all organized by the Choedhe Monastery, which belongs to the Sakya sect of Buddhism.

The Rituals and the Festival:

The Tenchi festival as a whole celebrates the victory of God over Demon and Good over Evil. During the three days, dance performances by the local monks of Chode monastery take place.

On the 1st day, the monks perform a dance called ‘Tsa Chaam’. This tells the story of the birth of ‘Dorji Sonam’- a reincarnated Buddha to a demon. This demon harassed the kingdom of Mustang and brought in havoc to the country. You can witness the monks enacting the harassment of the said demon on the people of Mustang.

On the 2nd day, the monks perform ‘NgaCham’. During this performance, Dorjee Sonam tries to return the demon to the Buddha realm.

On the 3rd and final day of the festival, the ‘Rha Chham’ dance takes place. On this ceremony, Dorjee Sonam triumphs over the evil demon and banishes him from Mustang.

The monk who plays the role of Dorjee Sonam does this by throwing an effigy. This effigy made from Tsampa (barley) represents the demon ‘Ma Tam Ru Ta’. This defeat brings peace and prosperity to the land of Mustang. Every year Tiji festival takes place in the hope of spreading peace throughout the world.

Tiji Festival Trek Permit:

Normally Upper Mustang Trekking Permits costs US $ 500 per person for 10 days. But during the Tiji festival we need to take 2 more extra days. 2 extra days will charged extra US $ 50 per day. In order to obtain the permit you need to have at least two members in a group that means single permit won’t be allowed from the immigration. If you are single traveler, let us know, we can provide permits by joining you with other travelers group. We need your original passport copy to obtain the restricted area permits.